"I will be blunt. I hate you."

"What… why would you say something like that all of the sudden?"

"It's because the way you think. Don't think you can outfox me. You are probably thinking of ways to convince Ayaka to join you in this war. That's very shallow of you."

"Excuse me? What's shallow about wanting to save lives?"

"Don't give me that hypocrite speech. Do you know how stupid you look right now? True, Ayaka is strong, but at the end of the day, Ayaka is still a child. You're basically asking a child to carry you in this war."

Kaguya took a step backwards. She couldn't refute, as Lina's words were correct. It's the typical human condition. Most humans, instead of trying their best to grow or figure out solutions to problems on their own, they tend to take the easy way out.

"And don't tell me, you're fighting this war from the generosity of your heart."

"Shut up! You don't know nothing about me!"

"You're from a different world, aren't you?"

…

"How did you know?"

"I've lived for many years. And also I have gathered a lot of knowledge. Heroes are usually summoned here from other worlds, as they tend to have a quicker growth and potential. Now tell me, you were basically forced to come here and fight for complete strangers. Surely, you won't say that you are doing this for free, without a goal in mind."

"... You're right. My goal is simple. To kill the Demon King and return to my own world."

"And just how does killing the Demon King help you to do that?"

"The summoning formation of course! The kingdom had the formation to bring me here, but the formation to send me back is held by the Demon King."

Lina facepalmed herself and let out a loud sigh. She then composed herself and started drawing something with her finger in the sand on the ground. The more she drew, the more Kaguya's face became more shocked.

"Is this the formation?"

"It's… it is…"

"Just as I thought. Sorry to burst your bubble, but someone needs to bring you to reality. There is no way for you to go home. This is lost magic. In other words, this is magic passed down by the Gods. It's not something humans can figure out to develop. The formation to return the summon to its original world, doesn't exist."

"That can't be! You're lying!"

"What would I gain from lying? Think for yourself. If such a formation would exist, why would the Demon King have it? And more importantly, if the humans told you that there is no way to send you back, would you still have agreed to help them?"

"This can't…"

Kaguya's expression was crumbling, as if someone just dropped a boulder on her.

"You assume the humans are the good guys, but their just as guilty as the demons. Why do you think the Demon King is dormant?"

"Eh… I… isn't that… to gain power?"

"The Demon King is dormant, because of the 12 generals. They put their own ruler to sleep. There was once a time when the Demon King wanted to make peace. But the generals couldn't stand the thought of coexisting with humans. Of course, they weren't strong enough to kill him, so they found a way to seal him. The general that manages to destroy humanity, will proclaim himself the new Demon King.

That is the true reason for war. Both sides are guilty. The humans aren't any better, since it was a human that tipped off one of the generals about the Demon King's intent for peace. Humans didn't want to coexist either."

For a few minutes, Kaguya remained silent.

"But… isn't this the will of the Gods? The Gods wouldn't have given the humans the summoning formation if they were in the wrong."

"A God will always try to keep balance in the world. Most likely, the demons tilted the balance too much."

"Is… that why Ayaka also refuses to join the war?"

Lina shook her head left and right.

"No. She refuses to take sides just because she wants to live a happy life. At the end of the day, isn't that what all of us want? She doesn't know the reason for the war or anything I just told you, because she doesn't need to know. She doesn't need to trouble herself with all this."

"I can't believe this…"

"If you doubt me, why not investigate this yourself? I'm sure the kingdom has many libraries and books you can go through. If you put a little work into it, I'm more than sure you will arrive to the conclusion on your own. But wake up already and stop living in an empty dream.

I'm not saying it's impossible for you to return to your world. All I'm saying is that neither the humans or demons have the means for your return. That's all."

Lina didn't say anything else. She turned around and went back near the campfire, sat down, and stared at it. She said what she wanted to say so there was nothing left she wanted from Kaguya. Noela's hero was left baffled. A part of her didn't want to believe a single word coming from Lina's mouth. 

Returning home was the only reason she agreed to fight in this war. A different voice started ringing in her head. What if she's right? What if I was fooled? Am I a joke hero? That night… was really rough for Kaguya.

------

~Ayaka's point of view~

"So you're okay now, Kaguya?"

"Yeah. Strength returned to my body."

"Good. Then also take these supplies with you. If you keep going that way, you'll have no trouble reaching your camp."

It felt like she wanted to say something more. But she took a glance in Lina's direction and for some reason she didn't say anything else.

"Thank you once again for saving my life."

"You're welcome. It was only by pure coincidence that we dropped by. Be careful in the future though. Don't charge into fights like this without the power to back your guts."

"I will remember that."

"Okay. Nier, we're all set. You can start pulling."

"I'd rather you start me with your whip."

"Err… no. You're just gonna drool again if I do that. However I will reward you when we reach our destination."

"Yosh!! Leave it to me!"

And with that, we parted ways with the hero Kaguya. She felt familiar, but at the end of the day, this was just a random encounter. I can't lose track of the prize. The owl sanctuary is waiting for me!